


The Perfect Date

by Neurotoxia



Series: Model AU [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Blind Date, Crossdressing, Friendship, Gen, Humor, M/M, Photography, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25864384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neurotoxia/pseuds/Neurotoxia
Summary: After Zack sets up Cloud on a terrible blind date, he tries to make it up to his friend the best way he knows how.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: Model AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876840
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	The Perfect Date

**Author's Note:**

> Happy (belated) Birthday, Cloud! I almost made it on time.
> 
> I went and played with the Model AU again in honour of Cloud’s birthday. crookedspoon and I have both written other fics (with other pairings) in the same verse, so check it out if more of this sounds fun to you! Comments and kudos are always appreciated <3

_Prod. Prod prod._ There’s a pen stabbing him in the upper arm. _Prod._ Repeatedly.

“Come on, Strife,“ the most annoyingly cheerful voice Cloud knows continues in his ear, “don‘t be such a sourpuss.”

“Go away,” Cloud grouses and swats at the pen poking into his upper arm. “I have work to do.”

“I‘m your boss!”

“Which never ceases to amaze me,” Cloud continues and makes a grab for the pen in earnest, but Zack is faster and pulls it out of reach.

“Rude!”

“What’s rude is bothering your assistant while he’s trying to work,” Cloud grumbles. “The deadline is coming up.”

“In six days, and we‘re eighty percent done with the edits,“ Zack says. “We‘re ahead of schedule.”

Cloud narrows his eyes at Zack and ducks back behind his monitor, knowing when he‘s lost the argument but declining to give Zack the win.

“You‘re in a mood today,” Zack whines. “You didn’t even tell me how your date went. I don’t need to know the gory details, but you haven‘t said anything.”

Cloud’s mood switches from grumpy to righteous indignation and he swivels around in his chair to fix Zack with a heated look. 

“Are you for real?” he asks, feeling his voice go higher. “Do you think I slept with that...that guy?”

Cloud swallows all the insulting names on the tip of his tongue because it was Zack’s suggestion after all that he go on that date. For some reason, Zack considered it a good idea.

And Zack looks genuinely surprised by Cloud’s outburst. 

“It didn’t go well?”

“I honestly wondered last night if you set this up to prank me,” Cloud replies, voice dry. “That’s how well it went.”

Zack now looks like the human embodiment of the surprise emoji and Cloud wants to sink under his desk and lie there for a minute, contemplating why his best friend is so dense sometimes. 

“Man, I thought you‘d hit it off,” Zack says, shaking his head. “He fit your description of what you like in a guy so well.”

“He what?”

“You said outgoing, creative, energetic, dedicated,” Zack counts the attributes on his fingers. “He even has the darker hair and an interest in motorcycles.”

Cloud is stumped for a moment, rewinding the conversation he had with Zack last week over lunch, the one where his friend pestered him into defining what he likes in a boyfriend. And Cloud, fool with a crush that he is, went on to describe what he thought was a fairly on the nose account of Zack‘s own attributes.

He‘s been nursing his feelings for Zack pretty much since Cloud attended Zack‘s free _Photo 101_ workshop down in the slums. It‘s been a long time and Zack still has no idea that Cloud _likes_ him. Cloud hasn‘t grown the spine yet to say it outright, and Zack is too naive to get the vague hints Cloud drops sometimes.

Instead of getting it, Zack sets him up on blind dates with guys like Roche.

Though Cloud has to admit, on the most superficial of levels, the description fits. Roche certainly was all of those things. Unfortunately, all overshadowed by the greatest ego Cloud has ever experienced.

“He‘s so full of himself,” Cloud finally says. “He only talked about himself and his bikes.”

Sure, the bikes were pretty great. Roche restores and builds custom motorcycles from the ground up, something Cloud desperately wants to do himself someday when he has the money to get decent parts. Roche’s bikes look amazing and drive like a dream – it’s the one positive from last night. Roche let him drive his personal, all decked-out bike around the neighbourhood after their dinner. It’s no doubt worth a ton of Gil. Zack’s rented bikes from Roche for photoshoots before and the insurance he had to take out on them was insane. The ride _almost_ swayed Cloud into staying the night, but then Roche said something monumentally stupid again and the thought went as fast as it came on. He’s not horny enough yet to sell himself for a bike ride.

“He sure is confident,” Zack muses and Cloud snorts.

“ _You_ are confident,” Cloud replies. “He’s full of hot air. There’s a difference.”

Zack pulls a face, abandoning the debate on the lack of qualities in Roche. “Sorry I set you up on a bad date.”

“No harm done,” Cloud sighs. “I guess I learned something about what I don’t want.”

Anyone that isn’t Zack, clearly. Not that Zack would know.

“That’s the spirit,” Zack cheers. “We’ll find you someone eventually!”

“I’m not sure I should be taking further dating advice from you, considering last night,” Cloud says and tries to focus back on adjusting the lighting in the latest batch of shots. 

“Hey, I’m a pro at dating,” Zack protests, not taking the hint of Cloud’s attempts to get back to work. “Ask anyone.”

“You’ll flirt with anyone,” Cloud replies. “Doesn’t make you a dating expert.”

“Semantics.”

“No, fact.”

Hopefully, they’re done with this conversation. Please. Cloud doesn’t want to think about his terrible dating experiences and neither does he want to contemplate Zack batting his eyelashes at everyone that’ll stand still for longer than three seconds. Everyone except Cloud.

“Come on, we take the afternoon off and I’ll take you to Wall Market for shopping,” Zack continues not even thirty seconds later.

Cloud knows what Zack is getting at and his cheeks heat up. Wall Market is where Cloud goes for one specific purpose, because at the stores there, no one looks at him funny. 

“It’s fine.”

Cloud didn’t want to make Zack feel guilty over a terrible blind date. It’s on Cloud himself for not having the guts to tell Zack how he feels. Zack was just trying to be nice, like always. 

“No, I want to,” Zack insists. “I bet you don’t have anything nice for summer. And it’s your birthday soon, you should have something pretty for that day!”

Cloud chews his lower lip, glancing at the clear blue sky visible through their office window. He doesn’t have anything really suitable for summer. It hasn’t been very long since he’s felt comfortable buying dresses for himself without being hit by a wave of shame after. Much of it is thanks to Zack who’d accepted Cloud’s interest in it without missing a beat and encouraged it even. 

“Come on, my treat,” Zack says. “It can be your present. Take it to the Costa shoot next week and I’ll take a few pics of you at the beach. There’s tons of secluded places without any tourists.”

Cloud drifts off for a moment, imagining himself on a deserted patch of Costa beach, wearing a light summer dress. Something airy and tropical with a nice bright print that would photograph really well. 

“You’ve got that look in your eyes, Strife. Don’t deny it!”

Cloud shakes himself out of the part of his fantasy where Zack forgets about his camera and slips a hand under Cloud’s dress, and looks at his monitor, then back out the window. They _are_ ahead of schedule…

“Okay,” Cloud finally agrees. 

Zack thrusts a fist into the air and grins. “Awesome!”

Cloud can’t hide a growing smile as he puts his computer on standby and grabs his phone and keys. If only Zack realised that an afternoon like they’re about to have would be an ideal date for Cloud. 

Maybe someday.


End file.
